From now until 3PM today, our gates are open. You are invited to learn more about us and how you can be involved. We have lots on the schedule, from chicken talks to Apple doll making. Come out and have a little fun this afternoon. It’s sunny after all.
If you’ve driven by recently, you may have noticed that our garden is lush with harvest. We continue to be blessed with a diverse, energetic, positive community of garden members and supporters who have helped bring the garden and learning center together.
Little Free Library #18575 officially opened on Saturday, September 13 at the Lafayette Community Garden located at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
With the motto “Take a Book, Return a Book, the Little Free Library’s mission is to promote literacy and love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. Books of all kinds, appealing to all ages, are welcomed. The members of the garden have initially stocked the LFL with their favorites, but other patrons are encouraged to borrow and to bring books to add to the collection.
The Little Free Library is considered a gift to the community. The books are labeled or stamped “Always a gift, never for sale,” to reinforce the idea that these books should circulate freely within the community.
The Little Free Library is a movement started by Todd Bol and Rick Brooks in Wisconsin in 2010 and it has grown to include LFLs in most states and dozens of countries. More information can be found at the Little Free Library site.
The library is located beside the entry gate to the garden. It can be accessed from the street through the pedestrian gate to the left of the vehicular entryway.
Contact: Jeanie Hill
jeanie.calnini@gmail.com
(479) 841-9555
Penny Porter of All in a Jar will be at the garden on Sunday, September 21 from 3:30 to 5:00PM to share her knowledge of food preservation at home. Have fun learning the basics on water bath canning for high-acid foods. We will discuss the best foods for this process, the tools you need and the do’s and don’ts.
There are many tricks and techniques that make canning a unique process for extending the life of your favorite foods. Most importantly, this class will provide quintessential knowledge and skills for how to begin canning in your own home.
Join Penny Porter for some Canning Basics.
Still looking for the perfect camp? Want to learn a little about the local history of Lamorinda? Then come and join us at the Lafayette Community Garden and Outdoor Learning Center and immerse yourself into the abundant world of nature as experienced by the local Native American Tribe, the Saclans/Miwoks.
We will meet daily August 4 to 8, from 8:30 to 11:30am. Youth and open-hearted adults will live as tribal members adopting Native American names and cultural observances. We will use what nature has provided for tools, meals, clothing and shelter. The last morning will conclude with a tribal sharing of food and ceremony with guests.
Educator, Peggy Magilen, will lead this experience, assisted by other members of the Community Garden.
The camp is geared for children ages 8 to 12 years old.
A minimum of 6/maximum of 12 youth participants; a few additional (adult) caregivers welcome.
Cost: $50 per camper to cover materials.
Register today.
Come by Wednesday from 2:00 until 6:00PM and Thursday from 9:00AM until noon to adopt a plant for your personal garden. We have tomatoes, cucumbers and various herbs at the table near the entrance for you to nurture. While you are here, feel free to stroll around and see how the former parking lot has transformed. To us, its a sanctuary. See what it can be for you.
If you have kids 10 and under, there are still three classes left in Our Secret Garden II series. Classes are from 9:00 until 10:00AM on the following days:
And at the low price of FREE, these are the best deals in Lafayette!
Doc Hale has informed us that has to cancel our event this afternoon. Due to an illness in his extended family, he has to fly to aid in the end of life care of his uncle. We are sorry to have this last minute glitch, but will notify you when we reschedule.
Thanks for your understanding.
Doc Jim Hale, wildlife biologist, naturalist and ethnobiologist will bring alive the amazing natural history of the Lamorinda area. Learn what plants thrived here and how they were used by local Native Americans. Find out what animals visit our area while we sleep at night. Doc Hale is an expert on wild, edible plants, the medicinal and cultural use of herbs, and mountain lion ecology in Contra Costa County. Doc’s photos and stories will delight people of all ages. Want proof? Check out this photo from Briones taken on June 19th. Register here.
Our Secret Garden has gotten off to a great start. On Monday, June 30, we discussed ways to keep Mother Earth healthy and made recycled newspaper trees. We also went on a hunt for litter and leaves around the garden. We, then, dumped everything into a bucket of compost and worms to find out what will break down over the next four weeks.
Today, July 3, our theme was “following directions.” We learned that different plants needed to be planted in different places, based on the sun and shade. And we found out that sunflowers in particular follow the sun throughout the day.
Local yoga instructor Alison Leitheiser lead us in some garden yoga. Our little gardeners were excellent listeners and followed directions very well. Let’s hope the sunflowers that we planted today also get to follow the directions of the sun.
Happy Fourth!
See you Monday, July 7, when we talk about being great neighbors and community helpers.
Hey kids! The Lafayette Community Garden will be hosting its second Our Secret Garden series.
Beginning June 30, Eli Chan will offer children a chance to get personal about ecology. On Monday and Thursday mornings from 9am to 10am, kids (and their caregivers) will head outside and connect with nature through stories, physical activity and garden-related crafts. They will be armed with the tools to make good food and lifestyle choices. Caregivers will learn how to nurture our next generation to be enthusiastic about their bodies, the environment and our community.
Together, we will become caring human beings who are part of an interconnected natural world. Join us in the garden and get ready to dig deeper than before!
Sign up now to become a first-class community leader.
